1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to dental care facilities and in particular to a central vacuum system for dental care operatories.
This application claims the benefit of provisional application 60/271,069 filed Feb. 26, 2001.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Modern dental facilities usually include multiple operatories and a central vacuum system. Dental aspirator tips are provided at each operatory for disposition in the patient""s oral cavity to remove aerosols, liquids, solid debris and odors from the patient""s mouth. Typical conventional dental vacuum systems have been far from ideal from the standpoints of noise output, vacuum intensity and flow rate characteristics, efficiency and reliability. Typical commercially available dental vacuum systems include a water ring or turbine vacuum pump and a back up pump is normally specified because of the known unreliability of such pumps.
The unreliability of some pumps utilized in the dental vacuum system is the result of the poor design of the overall dental vacuum system which allows aerosols, liquids and solid debris to pass through the separation chamber where it is designed to be retained, entrapped, and drained, and contact the vacuum pump thereby causing damage to the pump and the overall operation of the dental vacuum system.
One primary cause of damage to the pump in a dental vacuum system presently used is that the separation chamber utilizes a float valve in the form of a ball within a mesh cage to seal the outlet of the separation chamber. With the advent of new liquids and aerosols used in the dental operatory, a foam is generated within the separation chamber. The float valve in the form of a ball within a mesh cage is designed to cause the ball to rise and seal the outlet under the influence of liquid. Oftentimes the foam is generated to such an extent that it rises to the height of the outlet, but the density of the foam is insufficient to raise the ball within the mesh cage to seal the outlet. Thus foam and possible other light debris are removed from the separation chamber and introduced to the pump. The present invention seeks to eliminate this possibility.
An object of the present invention is to provide for a novel dental vacuum system for the efficient evacuation of aerosols, liquids, solid debris and odors from the patient""s mouth in a dental operatory.
Another object of the present invention is to provide for a novel dental vacuum system having an improved separation tank design in which the manner of introduction of air and effluent provides for self-cleaning of the interior walls of the separation tank.
A further object of the present invention is to provide for a novel dental vacuum system utilizing a two stage side channel blower for improved vacuum within the system and adaptive to older systems having small diameter piping.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide for a novel dental vacuum system having a novel separation tank and float valve mechanism which eliminates the possibility of foam or other liquid from entering the air outlet port of the separation tank and thus enter the inlet of the vacuum pump.
A dental vacuum system for use in dental operatories in which a dental aspirator tip in the dental operatory is in fluid communication with a two stage side channel blower for providing suction to the system, there being interposed between the dental aspirator tip and the two stage side channel blower, a solid debris collector and separation chamber for the collection of debris and effluent, the air outlet port in the separation chamber having a float valve sealing means for the air outlet port, the float valve sealing means having a pivotal lever with a sealing means at one end for engagement with the air outlet port and a float at the opposing lever end for contact with a fluid or foam level within the separation tank, the float depending from the lever end a sufficient distance so as to cause the sealing means to seal the outlet port before any foam can exit the separation tank.